Steel Requiem
by xxAwesomeLucyxx
Summary: Kyo had a traveling companion long before the Shiseiten came around. They found the other members together. But why does this person disappear so often? Who is under the mask? Manga-verse. KyoxOC/AkiraxOC Non-yaoi/yuri. Rated for violence,gore and cursing
1. Chapter 1

~Stranger's POV~

It had been a year since I had left Muramasa's place and I was just randomly wandering around Japan. I was on the outskirts of Kuju, Kumamoto on my way back from the southernmost point of this stupid country. I was the only one on the descending road, but that made sense. It was the rainy season and the looming clouds had already given a heavy downpour today, but had ceased for the time being. All sane travelers were in warm rooms bunkering down for the night.

_Damn. I'm so bored! I shouldn't have even bothered coming south. There is absolutely no one to fight. Might as well head back north. Maybe Kyoto will have…_ My musings were halted as Tenro started humming at my hip.

I touched its hilt to stop it, but the sword didn't even slow down its movements. In fact, with each step I took down the road, it grew even more fervent.

"Shut up, you damn sword. I'm your master and you'll listen to me!" I yelled, drawing it from its sheath. It shook even harder making me lose my grip. Suddenly, I was face to face with the tip of my sword as it flew at me. I was only barely able to dodge having my head cut off. Instead, I got a shallow cut on the cheek that streamed blood.

I walked towards the nodaichi, cussing all the way. It had skewered itself a few feet away in a huge tree. When I went to pull it out, I saw there was a small deer path beside it, almost unnoticeable in the thick foliage.

"Is that where you want to go?" I asked, pulling it out of the tree with two hands. Tenro vibrated even harder. "Well guess what? Too fucking bad. I'm not going to take orders from a sword of all things." I started to sheath it again, but it wouldn't go in to its metal enclosure. It was like trying to get two magnets of the same polarity to touch.

Finally, I gave up and turned to the deer path. It wasn't like I had anything better to do anyway. This time, the quiver it gave seemed almost out of happiness. I kept walking up the path. Each time there was a fork, Tenro gravitated towards the one it wanted me to take.

My cursing grew louder and more violent as we went deeper and deeper into the woods, traveling uphill. The trees loomed like giants above us, blocking out the rain that was probably falling again. My hands were numb from the constant vibrations that grew harder the farther we went and blood was still streaming from the wound on my face. As I put a hand up to wipe it away, I noticed that the smell of blood wasn't just my own. The ever familiar aroma of burning flesh and smoke reached my nose.

As if knowing I had finally perceived it, the sword shook uncontrollably. Then I saw the opening a few feet ahead of me and the smells grew stronger. Tenro rocketed straight out of my hands. Running to see where it landed, I came into a small clearing.

The damn sword had landed point first into the ground by the corpse of a woman. She was on her side, long grey hair covering her face. The wind picked up and blew a smell downwind towards me. The powerful scent almost knocked me over.

I took a step closer and saw through the misty rain that the woman was the source of the horrid aroma. She had landed straight into a fire, which had been quenched by the water spraying from the heavens.

_Ugh. This is what I came here for? A dead body. Stupid sword. _I walked up to my weapon and pulled it out of the ground. When I turned on my heel to head back, an iron grip seized my ankle.

In a flash, I pointed the Tenro down, just inches from the throat of the woman. The left side of her face was practically melted off, the muscles of the jaw and bone exposed. The eye on that same side twitched in all directions, clouded and unseeing. The right side of her face was pale from loss of blood. A sharp grey eye locked onto me.

The woman tried to say something, her right hand still tight on my ankle. Seeing that there was practically no way she would survive, I raised my sword over my head, prepared to give a mercy stroke.

"Prepare yourself." I swung down, aiming at her exposed throat. But I was stopped midway by a resistance like a magnet. Just like before. I glared at the defiant blade humming in my hands, as if scolding me for trying to put an end to her suffering.

I shook the hand off my ankle and murmured, "Be that way…" Seeing that the rain was starting to get even harder, I headed for the trees, Tenro clasped firmly in both hands.

"I'll kill you." A hoarse voice almost whispered from behind me. I turned once more as the woman started crawling towards me like a slug, fingers clawing at the dirt inch by inch. She emitted a massive killing aura that would have sent chills up my spine if she didn't look so useless. "I'll kill you, Shuusuke Mibu, if it is the last thing I do. I swear it." Then she blacked out.

The name Mibu caught my attention. _Hmm. She knows of that retched clan's existence, so she can't be an ordinary woman. I wonder…_

I went to sheathe Tenro again and met the same resistance. With a growl, I said, "It is obvious you want me to save this woman. I can't carry her with one arm without killing her faster than she already is. So shut the hell up." At that, it released what seemed like a purr and willingly let me sheathe it.

I leaned down and saw a deep wound right in the center of her back. Blood covered her blue kimono, staining the ground around her. As gently as I could, I turned her over on her back and picked her up, right hand around her shoulders. Her burned half was pressed up against me. She felt like the flames continued to smolder inside of her. But my hand was gripped around her unburned side. Blood loss made it feel like ice.

Slowly, more carefully then I had ever done, I walked towards the path that led to another path on the opposite side of the clearing.


	2. Chapter 2

~Unknown POV~

In the few moments before I passed out, the recent day's events flew back into my mind with stunning clarity.

I had woken up first thing in the morning to work on a damaged sword that someone had delivered to me the previous day. "Damn…No human being should be awake before dawn." I murmured to myself as I heated up the giant oven. Minutes later, I was pounding on the metal with a hammer, bending and banging it into its former shape.

There was a whisper in the back of my mind, telling me about how it had become this retched piece of existence. **It was horrible! Just horrible! You can't even imagine how I felt. Some stupid children took me from my perch above the temple altar and used me to hack down a tree. Can you believe it? Hacked, is how they used me. I'm an elegant sword used for slicing open the bodies of mortals. Not to hack a tree! **The distressed weapon complained.

"That must have been terrible. I'll make sure that the monks at the temple keep those kids away from you." I replied, dipping it into cold water. A hiss of steam rose, adding to the almost suffocating air of the forge.

"Now all you need is a good sharpening and you'll be good as new." That was met with many professions of gratitude that I ignored. I was too busy looking out the window at the ever-darkening sky. _It ought to rain today._ I thought. _I hope Shuusuke gets here before it starts._

At that thought, I totally freaked. "Ah hell! He could get here any minute and I'm covered in soot. Sorry, I'll sharpen you tomorrow." I unceremoniously threw the blade to the ground and ran out of the forge before I could hear its yells of protest.

I ran into the main house and hurried over to a sink where I proceeded to clean off my filthy face and arms. Afterwards, I went into my room and found the thing I was looking for: a dusky blue kimono with a grey obi. I slipped it on and brushed out my hair before looking at my appearance in the mirror. _Not half bad, if I do say so myself. I hope he likes it._

I shook my head at my pathetic thoughts. Shuusuke had been the only person besides Muramasa that I stayed in contact with after fleeing the Mibu. He was a powerful shaman who specialized in healing, not battle magic. So powerful, in fact, that he could get away with leaving the Mibu compound without being searched down and destroyed. His influence was the only reason I hadn't been burned at the stake. He couldn't care less what I wore.

I knew that I had an almost unhealthy crush on the man but I couldn't help it. He was tall with pale skin and sparkling blue eyes that put sapphires to shame. Short black hair made his toothy smile all the brighter. However, it wasn't just his looks that garnered my attention. Shuusuke was dominant and yet somehow kind. His rare attitude made him quite a treat to be around, though it had made him many enemies over his relatively short life span. Muramasa and he had some differentiating opinions, so the closest thing I had to a father wasn't too fond of him. However, they respected my opinion and didn't hate me for it.

I pondered all this as I wandered out into the front yard, grabbing an umbrella on the way. The house was invisible from behind the huge expanse of trees but had a perfect view of the surrounding area. The castle of Kumamoto was in the distance, separated by a sea of vegetation. The main road was visible, but the impending rain kept it relatively empty. I fidgeted nervously as I peered as far as I could, looking for Shuusuke. _Oh, stop it. It isn't as if he hasn't stayed over at the house before._ I scolded myself. Another part of me retorted, _but it is the first time it was just the two of you._

That just made me feel even worse. I didn't know if I could hold a conversation on my own with him. The both of us are smart, but in different areas. I'm a master smith and a fighter. There is a reason people call me Rengoku Senken. The Purgatory of A Thousand Blades is a pretty big name to live up to. Purgatory may be the meaning of my given name, but the last bit was added for my ability to make and use every weapon imaginable. 'If you can forge a blade, you can wield it' Muramasa always says. And like him, I can read thoughts. His Satori is much more powerful, allowing him to read the thoughts of humans, animals and weapons alike. My ability was solely with the deadly crafted metals.

Shuusuke is a master healer and a big shot politician of sorts in the Mibu clan. His ability to heal almost any wound with a drop of his blood was handy and valuable. And not being automatically killed for voicing his opinions to the highest powers of the clan takes formidable cunning and confidence.

Back to the point, how could the two of us, so different in our ways of life and backgrounds, hold a conversation together for 5 minutes, let alone the few days he planned on staying? _That is it. I have to move._ So I walked down the winding path of dirt through the trees to the clearing. It took around ten minutes before I even breached the mass of green into the open sky. A shiver went up my spine for a second. _Stay out here and wait for him, or go back up to the house? The house is nice and warm, but I want to greet him. If I stay out here, I might seem too eager to see him, as if I'm desperate. Moreover, it is going to rain any second. Damn it, I don't know._ A compromise clicked in my head.

_Why don't I start a fire out here to keep warm? I may seem desperate, but I won't be cold. I'll also have something to do to keep me from going insane. _I did just that, gathering tree branches and stones to make a big circle. Taking two stones in my hand, I knocked them together, making sparks. The tiny fire smoldered quietly for a moment before a gust of wind ignited the pit with a whoosh. _Might have over done it a bit. _I thought as I looked at the now raging bonfire in front of me.

I waited. And waited. And waited. A couple of times I sent out my consciousness, trying to sense the sword or the knife he usually carried with him. Since I hadn't forged the first, I could only look for it in a 5 square mile radius. The knife I had made especially for him, and couldn't even feel its energy in Kumamoto Province.

With a sigh, I started to head back to the house, not even bothering to put out the fire that was already flickering from the gently pattering showering. Just as I turned around, a figure appeared in the entrance of the field. It was Shuusuke, a walking staff in hand.

Consciously stopping myself from running to his side, I gave a small wave and walked towards him. His smile made butterflies erupt in my stomach.

As he got closer, I noticed how his hair clung to his face and his normally crisp, clean shaman's robes were dirty and wet. "Oh, gods above, Shuusuke-san, you are totally soaked and you look exhausted!" I ran the last few feet, offering to share the umbrella.

He shook his head, water flying in all directions. "Thank you, Rengoku-san, but if I do, you'll certainly become as wet as I."

I frowned. Taking a little initiative, I stepped closer to him, holding the scant shelter above both of our heads. "Don't worry about it. I don't mind. We can't have you catching your death, now can we?"

Another flash of white rewarded me. "Thank you, Ren-chan. I really appreciate it." He stepped closer, his arm brushing up against my shoulder. I gasped at the sudden contact and the informal use of my name.

"I'm sorry," Shuusuke muttered, pulling away quickly. "I went too far. Forgive me."

A little rush of courage filled me. Tentatively, I reached out with my other hand and laid it on his shoulder. "Didn't you hear me? I said don't worry about it." I blushed madly at my audacity.

Suddenly there was a thunk as his staff hit the ground and a clatter from the umbrella following suit. Once again, a gasp escaped my lips. Shuusuke's arms were wrapped around me, pressing me up against his chest. When I tried to look up at his face, he just pulled me closer. I breathed in the smell of herbs and his personal fragrance.

"Ren-chan, you don't know how much I've missed you. I need you to be with me. Please…" He whispered, his warm breath a stark contrast to the rain falling all around us.

I hugged him in return, feeling complete. The man I loved returned my feelings. "I'll always be here for you," I replied, "I promise."

The moment I uttered those words, a mind-blowing pain erupted from between my shoulders. I looked up in shock to see a completely different face. The features were the same: blue eyes, high cheek bones, a defined chin and perfect pink lips. But those lips were twisted in a maniacal smirk. And the stunning eyes that usually were filled with kindness instead held a wicked gleam.

I tried to croak out something. Anything at all. Blood replaced my words. Shuusuke still held onto me, though it felt like being wrapped in pulsing lightning. Every breath I took sent shock waves up and down my body. The pain almost made me pass out. He was the only thing holding me in place. From a distance, we could have looked like a couple dancing in the pouring rain. With a jagged tug, he pulled the knife out of my back, keeping me up with one hand.

"You might wonder how I snuck up on you like that. A clay blade, my dear 'Ren-chan', prevented you from sensing my intentions, didn't it? That knife you made me and my sword wouldn't even let me near them when they heard what I was going to do to you." He smirked venomously, licking the crimson liquid from the weapon of my demise.

Again I tried to speak, to move, but remained silent. He continued. "You might ask why I did it. It is simple; the other Mibu find you as a liability. I have to admit that I agree. Moreover, they are generous enough to offer me a high position on the council in exchange for your life. Any person would have done it."

Tears stung my eyes but were washed to the ground along with my life's blood. _Betrayed for power. Am I just a pawn to be thrown away?_ Finally, a sound made it past the blood pooling in my throat. "I thought…I…you…"

A laugh erupted from the man. "It amazes me how gullible you are. All I had to do was be nice and here you are, waiting in the rain for your own murderer. Ironic, no?" Another bitter laugh flashed through the air. "It is so pathetic!"

Shuusuke brandished the clay knife in one hand, using it to accent his words. "A woman smith who fights and doesn't listen would never make a suitable wife for someone climbing the pillar of success. Even if you were, just look at you. You're covered in scars and burns from fighting and working in a forge. You could have kept yourself eternally sixteen but you refused and now you are already twenty-three in appearance. You're hair and eyes are the blandest color I've ever seen. You wouldn't even make a good mistress. Women who can't do either won't be missed."

I could feel myself losing consciousness. I tried to fight the darkness, beat back the waves of death beating at me in turn. My body didn't want to keep feeling this unbearable pain, but with each second I stayed conscious, the more the it intensified.

"Burn in hell, Rengoku Senken." At that, I felt myself falling. I tried to reach out to grab onto anything, but he was the only thing there. With a crash, I hit the remnants of my bonfire. I couldn't stop it anymore. The pain in my back on top of the flames tearing into my flesh caused me to emit a blood-curdling scream. My throat tore open as I continued my cries of agony, until finally, I blacked out.

For a moment, in the haze of what must have been death, I felt something familiar coming towards me. It was the comforting presence of metal and power that must have been made by my master, Muramasa_. So the angel of death carries a sword. Interesting. I'll have to ask him about it. _My drifting mind then detected a human being. A Mibu to be exact. With what seemed like herculean effort, I gripped onto this man's ankle. Who else could it be besides my murderer?

The shadow looked down at me with disgust and disdain. It swung up the sword and said with no emotion, "Prepare yourself". When I saw I wasn't dead yet, I said the first thing my tormented mind told me.

"I'll kill you." My throat was raw and throbbing. I tried to crawl on my less agonizing side towards him. "I'll kill you, Shuusuke Mibu, if it is the last thing I do. I swear it."

Then I was consumed by the painless, peaceful calmness of the dark.


	3. Chapter 3

~Stranger's POV~

After climbing up the hill, a half-dead woman in my arms and a disobedient sword at my hip, I found a traditional style home. Quickly, I made my way in, sensing no one else in the building. After going down a hallway and opening a few doors, I found a room that had bedding already set out. I gently set the partial corpse onto it.

A moment later, I was in the kitchen, rummaging around for bandages. There was no way the woman would survive long enough for me to get a doctor without having the gaping wound in the center of her back bound.

There was a quiet 'shhhhh' of a blade being drawn. It was just enough time for me to draw my own. My eyes widened slightly as two twin blades crossed the Tenro. Most of the time, something trying to kill me wasn't that unusual. This case wouldn't have been but for the fact the swords were floating in mid air. I pulled back to take a swing at the invisible enemy I was facing. I met air. The left sword swept down in a crescent moon. Again, I missed having a chunk taken out of me by millimeters.

Suddenly, my nodaichi buzzed. Both weapons ceased their next attack, humming quietly in a way that almost seemed urgent. A couple more seconds of buzzing, humming, and me standing dumbfounded passed before my opponents dropped to the wooden floor with a clatter. I gave them a swift kick for good measure before going back to my search.

Since I didn't find what I was looking for, I settled with a bundle of sheets in a closet. I went back into the bedroom. The smell of burnt flesh still reigned over everything else. _Why am I doing this? It is some strange woman in the middle of a field, burned to a crisp. I don't know her. Damn Tenro._ _This will not happen again._ I ignored the fact that somehow the aura she gave off seemed familiar.

I had to strip her of her kimono to wrap her up tight enough. The bloody, oozing flesh stopped my thoughts from straying to a naked woman in front of me. When I was satisfied with my job, I turned to go back to town to get a doctor. A now too familiar vibration warned me of my swords descent. "Fucking sword. Stay here for all I care. Your precious woman will have a 100% chance of dying instead of 99%." It quieted long enough for me to get out of the home and halfway down the path.

I detected a presence coming in my direction at a jogging pace. I kept going, meeting it half way. An old man with a medicine bag came up the path, huffing and puffing like he had just run a few miles. When he saw me, he just about had a heart attack on top of it. "W-who are y-you?" He stammered, clutching to his equipment.

"It doesn't concern you. Why are you here?" I was suspicious of someone coming up to this isolated mountain just at the time he was needed most.

The old coot seemed to get a little courageous upon remembering his purpose. "In town, everything metal started to act like it was possessed. Last time that happened, the sword smith of the area almost cut off her whole hand. I came to see what had gone wrong." At this point, it didn't matter to me if this guy was trustworthy. I just wanted to give my damn sword what it wanted so I could continue on my way without any more mutiny.

"Oh dear gods, what happened to you?" He whispered in horrified awe at the sight of the woman. Since he didn't wait for an answer, I didn't bother tell him I didn't know. _Hm. Weird._ I thought when I saw the same two 'possessed' blades lying on either side of the woman. I left the room, not even bothering to separate my own weapon from the woman. The last glimpse I got as I closed the door behind me was the doctor shuffling around, murmuring 'tragedy' and 'not much I can do'.


	4. Chapter 4

~Unknown POV~

The first thing I noticed when I gained consciousness was, of course, the pain. I would have tried to move if just the action of thinking it sent me into racks of agony. It took so much effort to send my sixth sense out into the area, I almost slipped back into the blackness that was lurking on the edge of my mind.

I would have smiled at the worried vibes my twin swords Yin and Yang sent to me. They were by my side, as they always would be. Another sword was in the vicinity, sending me the same feelings. My mind was too muddled to pick out exactly what type, but I knew Muramasa had forged the blade. A wave of happiness filled me with that. _You swore to me that you would always be here for me. And when I need you most, you are. Thank you Muramasa._

My mood soured at the thought of the oath that he took and the same one I gave to Shuusuke. _That bastard. He stabbed me in the back. Literally. Then he let me fall into the fire. Didn't even have the decency to kill me nice and quick, the jerk._ The intensity of the heat coming from my entire left side must have been the result.

It took several attempts to finally open just a single eye. The cream ceiling of my room was the first thing I saw. I took in a deep breath and found that my nose was covered in bandages. My whole face but my right eye and mouth was wrapped, along with my torso and my left limbs.

"Damn woman, took you long enough to wake up. Thought you were dead." A voice I had recently heard said to my right. I sat up in a flash, reaching down for one of my swords. Hell's fire erupted through my veins and I couldn't even scream. My one eye went blurry with pain. I dropped to the floor again, back arching, hands gripping at the sheets frantically trying to escape.

A new voice said almost hysterically, "Hold her down! She'll burst open the wound and aggravate the burns with this infernal thrashing." A pair of calloused hands grasped my upper arms as someone did the same to my legs. I continued to fight the demons who had replaced my blood with mercury. The grip on my arms changed and a heavy weight pushed my hips to the ground.

"Stop it woman! You're freaking the swords out." The gruff voice from before said. I did as it commanded, trying to listen over my heavy breathing. He was right; there was a high-pitched metallic screech coming from my left, right, and feet. I could just barely make out words of concern and yells saying to stop hurting myself. The weight on my torso was lifted, and the hilts of my own weapons were put in my hands.

"Shhhhh. It is alright. I stopped. Hush. It's okay." I tried to say, but nothing came. So I settled with saying it through my mind speak to them. The weapon at my feet trembled. She, as the sword seemed to want to be addressed, wanted some reassurances too. And she got what she wanted.

Once all three had stopped their frenzy, I opened my eye again. The doctor from in town, Kurosaki-sama, hovered over me. "I know that you probably can't talk. Blink once if you can understand what I said." I blinked once.

"Do you trust this man over here? Blink once for yes, twice for no." He continued. A man a couple of years younger than me with long, jet black hair and crimson red eyes came into my line of sight. He had been the one who saved me, and he was the owner of the Tenro, the new sword. I blinked once.

The doctor asked cautiously, "Are you sure? He doesn't even know your name." I blinked once again, then gazed at him unfalteringly. Kurosaki-sama seemed satisfied with that. The other man disappeared from sight.

Kurosaki-sama continued. "I know that this is very hard to stomach. Blink three times if you want me to stop or four to clarify something I just said. Blink once if you understand." I did. This form of communication was getting quite frustrating already.

"You were stabbed between the shoulder blades. Luckily for you, it doesn't seem to have damaged the spine and there is no apparent internal bleeding. You understand so far?" Another single blink. Another deep breath.

"You fell on your side into a slightly burning bed of coals. Your entire left side has 3rd degree burns." I blinked four times for clarification when he stopped. I wanted to know that full extent of the damage.

He sighed, probably having hoped he wouldn't have to go into the gruesome details. "Most of the top layers of skin on your arms, torso, and legs have been severely burned. Your face…Your left cheek was burned off completely, and that same eye was badly damaged. There is not much I can do. Frankly, you should not be alive at all. You will probably succumb in the next few days to infection." Another four blinks for more clarification.

"You have a 3% chance of survival. Since the blood loss didn't kill you, infection in the wounds is likely. The process of cleaning out the wounds is extremely painful, and will only barely raise your chances of living. If, somehow, you do survive the next few days, the scar tissue will be debilitating. Your immune system will be permanently damaged, making you susceptible to illness for the rest of your life. Even daily tasks will cause you excruciating pain and you will never walk properly or wield a sword again. I'm sorry."

I didn't ask for any more information. I didn't need to. This man had pretty much given up on me already. The pity in his eyes made me sick. Kurosaki-sama didn't know that I was a Mibu, which must raise my chances of survival at least a few percent. And I had sworn to get my revenge. I had lived so far. Who's to say I shouldn't keep on going?

The doctor left, saying he was getting some medicine to dull the pain so that I would be more comfortable. The red-eyed man's voice rang once again to my right. "So you lived through all that just to die later. How pathetic." The fresh memory of someone else saying the same thing made me quite angry. I sent a message to Tenro. The smell of blood erupted anew through the air.

"Hm. Interesting. I take it that you aren't going to take dying lying down." I blinked once to agree with his conclusion. Something was shoved into my right hand. "I'm not going to watch you blink for my answers. What is your name?"

As well as I could without seeing, I scribbled out a name. He grumbled. "Not your alias. I know you are a Mibu. What is your name?" I couldn't help the breathy gasp that escaped my lips. No one in the area knew who I was. Only Muramasa and Shuusuke knew where I lived. Muramasa wouldn't have told anyone and Shuusuke thought I was dead, so he wouldn't have bothered.

_**Why do you want to know?**_ I wrote instead.

"My damn sword kept attacking me till I went where it wanted me to go. When I got there, it wouldn't let me leave until I saved your life. So I think I have a right to know." He said bluntly.

_**Rengoku Senken, former Mibu. Who are you? Your Tenro just calls you Him or My Master.**_

"How did you know the name of my sword? And how do you know Muramasa?" The raven-haired man growled.

_**You didn't answer my question. Who are you?**_

"Kyo." The name sounded familiar. I racked my memory for it until I finally found what I was looking for.

I scribbled out frantically, _**Wait, the demon child who killed Nobunaga? The boy Muramasa gave one of his legendary swords to?**_

"How do you know about my connection to Muramasa, woman? Damn it, you make more questions than you answer." I had to agree that this conversation wasn't making much headway.

_**Muramasa saved me from becoming a dog for the rest of the Mibu. He sent me out to live on my own right before he took you in. I came back every once in a while to see how he was doing, and I saw you there, swinging around a nodaichi. We even played together a couple of times. I would ask if you recognized me, but with all of the damage, you probably wouldn't. And I told you my name. Use it.**_

"Fine Rengoku," Kyo spat my name sarcastically, "How did you know the name of my sword?"

I thought about it for a moment. I had just been betrayed by a man I had known for years. Why should I tell this guy about my powers and such when I just barely met him? The thought was a logical one, but the explanation was all but that. My conscience said, _He saved your life. This guy is the only person from the Mibu who knows you are alive. Someone has probably already told Muramasa about some terrible accident or some such crap. And he trusted this man with the future of the Mibu. You'll have to trust him yourself._

_**I have Satori, like Muramasa. **_I wrote out. Then I paused, thinking about the answer I received from one of my queries. _**You said why you found me. That doesn't explain why you stayed. If you want me to, I'll explain to Tenro that you have better things to do than stay here with me.**_

The doctor walked in before I got my answer. "This will dull the pain." _Just dull huh? Thanks a lot._ I thought. He continued, ignoring my mental ranting. "If you don't take it, the pain could send you into shock and kill you." The words 'that much faster' hung in the air for a moment.

Cold glass was pressed up against my lips, and an equally cold liquid went past them. The inside of my cheek and throat stung furiously as if I was gargling acid. I tried all I could to swallow it, but the muscles of my throat wouldn't comply. Hastily, I scribbled _**Can't swallow. Throat won't work.**_ Kurosaki-sama saw this and swore.

Suddenly, a hand was clasped over my nose and mouth, preventing me from breathing. I struggled, trying to pull away, but it was too strong. Kyo's red eyes pierced through the gray fog that started to cloud my vision. Then I passed out.


	5. Chapter 5

~Kyo's POV~

After I caused the woman to pass out, her throat loosened and let the liquid slide down it without any more trouble. _I'm not leaving until she answers all of my questions and tells Tenro to piss off. She just made me more curious._ "Damn woman," I murmured under my breath. The doctor had stared at me like I was crazy and left, saying he would return in the morning to change her bandages.

I suppressed a cringe, which wasn't hard after stopping myself from throwing up at the first sight of the gray haired woman. After Kurosaki had staunched the wound in her back, he proceeded in looking at her burns. Inside, next to a bright light and out of the wet, the true damage was revealed.

From the right, this Rengoku woman seemed perfectly all right. Not fine-looking like the light skin beauties I had seen before, but not necessarily ugly. She was a few years older than me; shortly past the traditional marrying age. Her complexion was a shade lighter than my own. Steel gray hair fell down her back. Her lips were held tightly in a grimace of pain even in her sleep, making them razor sharp. She looked strong and healthy from what I could see.

But when I moved over to her other side, it was horrible. Rengoku's jaw was completely exposed all the way down to bones and teeth. You could see her tongue in her mouth from the right angle. Muscle that hadn't been melted away hung freely. The left ear was completely gone, leaving a visible hole on the side of her head. Her nose was in the same state. The little hair that hadn't burned away was just stubble. But the creepiest thing was that her eyelid was completely gone, baring her damaged, cloudy eye to the elements. The skin of her arms and legs was so red, it looked like there was only a single layer keeping all of her blood from pouring out. There were cracks in her skin, almost as if she were made of clay, which seeped out a nasty clear liquid. The bones in some of her fingers and toes were showing and bled profusely.

All of the damage seemed magnified when the doctor cleaned it with a wet cloth. The skin reddened even further, beyond what I thought possible. The dirt and grime appeared to have been stopping the bleeding. When it was gone, her right side went pale from the loss of more precious blood. The smell of it coated the inside of my nose and throat.

I went outside for fresh air and to clear my thoughts. Being in the amount of battles I had in my eighteen years of life, I had seen many people killed, maimed, and burned. But never had the person lived. They were always just corpses on the battlefield. _I wonder why this is disturbing me so much._

I shook off this new feeling. _She said she has seen me before at Muramasa's house. I must have noticed her at some point._ Pulling up my memories of the five years with the man to the front of my mind didn't take long. It was the closest thing to happiness I had ever gotten. Rengoku's name didn't show up. I couldn't even get the image of her burned flesh out of my head, which didn't help.

I stopped midstride, almost falling into a hot spring. "I have a feeling that I will be here a while. Might as well make use of the amenities. It isn't like she'll notice. The woman probably won't even make it outside again." For some reason, that made me feel… not happy.


	6. Chapter 6

~Rengoku's POV~

_Damn it, I thought it was all a dream. _I thought as I awoke once again to a creamy ceiling streaked with mid-morning sunlight. My arms and legs felt numb from inactivity. I sat there for a few minutes before my door opened with a hiss. "I had hoped you'd be dead by the time I came back woman." Kyo's voice resonated through the otherwise empty room.

I tried to yell at him, but there was only an airy whisper. It took a few tries to get my almost non-existent lips to form the words, and even then, they sounded rough and uneven. "Oh, no 'Good morning, glad you made it through the night'? How disappointing. And I've already told you; my name is Rengoku. Or you can call me Ren."

If it was possible, there was a smirk in the voice that responded. "She speaks. At least I don't have to read your horrible handwriting anymore. That's a mercy." Before I could sit up and face him, a hand was on my shoulder. "And now that you can speak, I won't listen to you scream. So stay still until the doctor comes back. Then he can deal with you."

It surprised me that he hadn't left. I was grateful for his relatively silent company nonetheless. The wait for the doctor was a long one. About an hour into it, I felt a little bad for the man who sat beside me. "There is a room next door that you can sleep in. The bedding is already out. And the kitchen is fully stocked. Make yourself at home."

There was a snort. "For one, my sword won't leave this room, and I'm not going to sleep unarmed in a place where anything metal freaks out and attacks in a split second. I'm not hungry either." His stomach rumbled audibly. I couldn't help the chuckle that came from my throat in a cough. Something hot and wet spluttered from my lips. I licked them clean.

"Coughing up blood too, huh? I must look miserable. Whatever. Just do what I tell you and you can make some ramen, though it won't taste too good." So I spent the next hour and a half telling a guy I couldn't see how to cook ramen. I almost panicked when I smelled burning from down the hall, but the house didn't catch on fire.

Kyo came back in and there was a clatter beside me before he moved to my right. I was just able to turn my head enough to see a glass of water. He said nothing as he slurped the ramen. "Thanks for the gesture, but I can't move to drink it. And even if I could, I don't think I could swallow it without having you make me pass out. Thanks for the warning, by the way." The man didn't say a word.

We sat there for another hour before the doctor came back. He moved into my field of vision. "I'm here to change your bandages and disinfect the wounds. Are you ready?" Kurosaki-sama asked brusquely. I went to say yes, but noticed something.

"Kyo, could you leave? I appreciate you being here, but this is a little much."

"No," was the blunt answer.

"Okay, let me rephrase that. Get out." He didn't seem to realize that getting bandages changed meant me being practically naked.

Kyo laughed. I could picture a feral grin on his face. "What are you going to do? Nag me to death? You can't even sit up." I winced as the doctor took off the bandages. They seemed glued to my skin by blood and melted flesh. The air felt like it reignited the fires around my body.

When I did nothing in response, Kyo spoke again. "See, I told you so. You can't do anything to make me leave. You don't even have any dignity left. It really is pathetic." I wanted to wring that little neck of his, but I think that if I tried, my palms would rip right off.

"Come here and say that where I can reach you, you bastard. I bet you are only staying here to find out how I know you. Muramasa probably didn't tell you about me. Ha, looks like I struck a nerve." Crimson eyes glared down at me. "What, you've got nothing to say?" I continued, my face stretching painfully with my smile.

The frown on his own ugly mug turned into a toothy grin that I wanted to smack off. "Even if you weren't injured, you still couldn't beat me, you old hag."

The scream I let out was from both pain and anger. "Who are you calling old…Son of a bitch that hurts! What the hell are you doing to me, doc?"

My skin was bubbling. Literally. It burned like putting alcohol and salt in my wounds. "Hydrogen peroxide. It is a new disinfectant from the west. It is only going to get worse; I have to rub it into your skin. Brace yourself." I did and still almost bit my tongue off. The soft cotton cloth I knew he was using was more like steel wool on the delicate skin.

Since I was warned, I stayed in enough control of my body not to thrash around like before. I tried to think of something to ignore the pain. "W-who are you calling an old h-hag ch-cherry-chan?" I croaked. Ignoring the pissed off Kyo, I continued. "You've probably never seen a naked chick before. D-do I have to give you t-the talk, or did Muramasa d-do it already?"

I probably would have never said anything like that in a normal situation, but I couldn't hold my tongue and keep from screaming at the same time. And it was impossible to add to my embarrassment; I was pretty much nude. A thin blanket hid my right side from the world. Kyo's eyes didn't stray, however. They stayed locked with mine, though one was unseeing. "Look who's talking. Sex is never the same once you've gone through menopause, they say." He retorted. I winced as the doctor poured more of that bubbly stuff on my face, rubbing it into the exposed muscles. I had to spit some of the stuff out, it having gotten in my mouth through the gaping hole that was once my cheek.

"Don't make me sick the swords on you." I warned. "Even your Tenro seems to be out for your blood." They were buzzing quite fervently.

A hand clasped down on my right thigh. Kyo leaned down until we were nose to nose, his bangs brushing against my forehead. "Bring it, bitch." I couldn't stop myself anymore. I reached to slap him with my right hand, even though my back almost split open from the knife wound. He caught it with ease as if I had gone in slow motion.

And then I was flipped onto my stomach. A pillow muffled my cries. "Sorry about that. I have to get your back. And being distracted always helps with ignoring the pain. This young man is quite a big help in both respects." I couldn't speak, but the visible Tenro gave me an idea. _I warned him._

"What the hell! Get them off of me, you stupid bitch, or I'll kill you." Oh, what I would have paid to see the scene.

"I don't recall bitch being my name." I said, ignoring the threat.

There was a few more moments of struggling before he sighed and conceded, "Fine, Rengoku, get them off me before I kill you." I did just that because I knew he wouldn't ask any nicer. The fool would rather be gutted.

By that time, I was wrapped up snuggly in clean bandages and a sleeping yukata. "We need to get more fluids into you. Water will be best at first." Kurosaki-sama blurted out anxiously. It was obvious flying swords weren't his cup of tea. My head was tilted slightly and a small cup was set against my lips.

Suddenly, I felt very thirsty. Having not had anything to eat or drink for over a day after having lost as much blood as I had did that to a person. Screaming at Kyo hadn't helped either. When I tried to drink, water spilled out from my lips and cheek. Luckily, the good doctor had foreseen this and had a towel at the ready. It took a while before I got the hang of it and drank the whole cup.

"Come here, son, and try for yourself."

The doctor wasn't so good anymore.

"Hey, that isn't necessary. I'm not thirsty anymore. When I am, I'll do it myself. It's fine." I lied.

Kyo snorted. "Who said I was going to play nurse maid for the living corpse over there?"

We both started to argue before the doctor interceded. "No, you shouldn't be moving at all. The next few days will be much worse. In some ways, you are lucky the fire burned at some of your nerves. You aren't in as much pain as I would have first thought. But once infection sets in, we don't know when we'll be able to get more fluids into you. Your chances for survival rests on how well we prepare for the upcoming storm."

"Why don't you stay here then? You're the doctor, not me." I had to agree with Kyo, though the way he said it wasn't the most comforting.

"I have other patients in town that need to be taken care of." I had the feeling he meant that he couldn't stay for someone who was going to die when there were others who could live. The doctor left with that, leaving a bottle of medicine for me to take at sunset.

Finally, after what seemed like hours of him scowling at me, Kyo tilted my head back and set another cup to my lips. He was a little rougher than I would have liked, but I didn't complain.

However, he sure as hell did. "This is like trying to feed a baby. You can't even drink without spilling shit all over yourself." I ignored him as best I could, since I was getting what I wanted. When I was done, he set me back down. "You have any good sake around here?"

"Yeah, but aren't you a little too young for that?" He copied what I had done and stayed silent until I sighed. "In the cabinet three doors over to the left of the sink. Don't drink it all in one go."

Kyo came back and sat back down on the windowsill. The pinks and oranges of the setting sun looked so out of place against waist length black locks and crimson eyes. The young man just quietly sipped his sake, oblivious to the contrast. "Are you going to stare at me the rest of the night?" He asked abruptly.

"Yeah, probably. You're in blocking my view of the outside and I'm sick of this goddamn ceiling already." Red flashed in annoyance.

"You aren't the one sitting here with a half dead woman, now are you? There isn't anything interesting to do around here." I almost told him if he was going to complain, then leave, but decided against it. If Kyo did, I would be alone and defenseless. It wasn't like I expected him to protect me or anything, but he would probably enjoy a little scuffle right about now. And honestly, I didn't want to be alone.

Leaving would also mean taking Muramasa's sword, and that was the only piece of him around. My father figure's aura radiated off it in waves, shielding me from a fraction of the pain with his presence.

**I believe my presence should be good enough.** Tenro grumbled.

_Of course it is,_ I thought to her, _But you being forged by Muramasa makes you that much better. I'm glad you are here to keep me company. _For some reason, there seemed to be something off about the blade now that I was slightly more coherent.

Yin, the sword on my left, let out a little hum. **And we are more than capable of protecting you, Master Rengoku. Yang and I took care of the demon man before.**

**We can take the bastard. Just bring it on.**__Agreed Yang, the more violent of the two. **Once you are better, we'll take care of him for badmouthing you. **It was sweet that they were so protective of me.

I spoke with the three of them for what must have been at least an half an hour. "What are you doing?" Kyo asked, snapping me out of my conversation.

"Talking, unlike you, with Tenro and my own swords. She really wishes you would open up to her more. Yin and Yang's relationships with me are making her very jealous." I answered. _Maybe I can get him to speak with her and make her happy. It really is a shame that they are so far apart._

Kyo took another sip of the sake. "So you have Satori like Muramasa, or was that hysterical babble before?"

"Mine is only with weapons and animals. But I have a much stronger connection to metal than he does. I tried to read human minds, but they are just too complicated and jumbled to make any sense. All I get is memories and useless facts. Metal is plain and simple; straight and to the point."

There was silence. I felt like humoring the man sitting next to me. I might not survive the next couple of days, but I wasn't going to leave him hanging about whom I was. "I've only played with you a few times. Once, we did play tag around the forest. But I mostly hung out with Muramasa when I came around. Last time I went and you were there was in the spring from what I remember. You were such a cutie pie." I recalled, thinking about his piercing red eyes over chubby cheeks that always made him look like he was pouting.

"You're Muramasa's whore!" Kyo laughed, finally remembering who I was.

"I told you that I was not there for that. Jesus, cutie pie, you have such a bad memory." I frowned, remembering how he had asked if I was a prostitute when I came around for the third time.

The man didn't listen; he just continued to chuckle to himself, shaking his head. "I definitely remember you now. You wear some skimpy shit woman, even though you can't pull it off."

He was really pissing me off. "I'm glad you noticed, even though you still haven't started puberty. Seriously, have you started to shave yet? Moreover, my name isn't woman. Call me Rengoku or Ren. On the other hand, maybe Mistress Senken. It has a nice ring to it." It was so easy to push this person's buttons.

"Who names their female child purgatory? And you are a woman since I saw everything, though not much of one." Yin and Yang blocked me from getting up to kill him as Tenro stabbed itself an inch from Kyo's face.

"The same person who named your female sword Tenro." I spat. My name had always been something I was proud of having.

Kyo settled and poured out another cup of sake. "So Muramasa named you." I cursed my slip of the tongue. "Is he your father?"

My swords finally backed down, so I was able to see him again. "Psh, I wish. Now enough about my personal life. If you don't mind, I'm going to get some sleep. Raising my blood pressure probably isn't the best thing for me to do." My companion left, leaving the alcohol on the window seat.

I closed the eye that wasn't covered. Just as I began to drift off, I felt someone beside me. Kyo had somehow made it back into the room without making a sound. Crimson looked down at me. "Drink." Something hot was pressed up against my lips. I spluttered for a moment before downing the weak broth.

When I was done, I eyed the man suspiciously. "The doctor said that you would more of a pain in the ass if we didn't get fluids into you. Now shut up. I have to clean all this shit off of me."

I couldn't help but smile. He didn't sound angry, just annoyed and tired. "That broth might kill me before my injuries. I can't believe you ate that without having someone force it down your throat." Right as the door was closing, I whispered, "Thanks."

Kyo came back in a few minutes later. I feigned sleep, which wasn't too hard. From under my eyelashes, I watched him, waiting for him to leave for good now that he knew who I was. At some point, I must have really fallen asleep.


	7. Chapter 7

~Kyo's POV~

I don't know how the next couple of days would have been like if I hadn't gotten those few drops of broth and water in that Rengoku woman. After she had fallen asleep, she immediately came down with a burning fever. The woman thrashed around to the point that the doctor had me tie her down. She mumbled incoherent nonsense the whole time, fighting invisible monsters in her feverish dreams. That lasted about two days.

Suddenly, she went still. Kurosaki took the opportunity to redo her bandages. The stench from two days before was like a bouquet of roses compared to what was unleashed then. It was the sickeningly sweet smell of infection. Rengoku's body was oozing a nasty yellow and red puss from the wounds. Her still climbing temperature just made it worse. All I could do was make sure the fire in the room kept going to sweat the fever out. Whenever I tried to force her to drink the water, her gag reflex wouldn't work and she wouldn't swallow. The doctor worked surprisingly hard to keep her alive despite his gloomy outlook. He changed her bandages twice a day and made many different strange colored salves to heal to burns.

The fever broke on the fifth night after she had fallen asleep.

"It could mean that she is recovering or her system is finally shutting down. Either way, there is not much else I can do." He said when he left that night. While sitting at her windowsill, I contemplated why exactly I had stayed.

The first thing that came to mind was the damn sword that had stayed at the corpse's feet the entire time. It refused to moved, and every time I tried to force it, more blood was drawn. If it had been any other sword, I would have taken my chances on my own. But Muramasa had given it to me. Some part of me wouldn't let it go.

The whole situation got me quite curious, which is hard to do. There were a hundred things I wanted to know about this woman, though it pained me to admit it. How had a Mibu been so severely injured? Does she have something against the clan as well? What is her exact affiliation with Muramasa? How did he come to name her if he wasn't her father? I wanted so many answers. After traveling around for as long as I had with no purpose, a mission of sorts took away from the boredom.

Besides all of that, I knew that Rengoku Senken was a friend of Muramasa. Even though he would forgive me for letting her die, it wasn't out of not caring for her. The man was just that sort of person. Muramasa would eventually pardon me, but he would grieve for this person for a while. And I couldn't be the reason for his sadness; I couldn't bring myself to do it.

_Besides, it isn't as if I have anything better to do._ I thought to myself as I finally drifted off into the pleasant realm of slumber.

I awoke slowly to calm for once. Little beams of dusty light shone through the opening of the window and warmed my face. From inside, I could hear the restless sounds of animals out and about, doing their daily tasks. _This is…nice._ I let out a contented sigh. Though I live for the thrill of the fight, moments like these were welcome.

Something white shot into my field of vision, startling me to full awareness. Sitting on the porch a few feet away from the window was the idiotic woman, looking like a mummy as she waved her bandaged hand in greeting. Though half of her face was covered, she beamed a bright smile in my direction.

I opened the connecting door and stepped out, taking Tenro with me. "What the hell are you doing up, you old hag?" I asked, looming over her.

"I still can't believe I snuck out without you waking up. You sleep like a baby. You're so much cuter when you aren't scowling at me." She commented. Before I started ranting at her, she sighed. "Same thing you were; enjoying the sunlight of a new day, though it's a little late for that. It's noon already."

"Are you trying to kill yourself or what?"

A shrug was the response, accompanied by a wince at the movement. "I had to use the necessary facilities outside last night, and I decided to stay out here because I didn't want to wake you. It was a miracle I didn't before." I kept my face blank as I realized how far the toilet was from the room. Those couple hundred feet must have felt like miles in the condition Rengoku was in. People call me stupid for getting up too early after an injury, but that is just too much. I also scolded myself for being so unobservant. If someone had told me that a half-dead woman getting up in the middle of the night wouldn't wake me up, I'd have laughed as I chopped their head off.

The woman stood up, leaning on one of her swords for support. I made no move to assist her. She hobbled her way slowly around the corner and to the door that led to the kitchen. "I hate doors. Somebody ought to kill the idiot who came up with them." She mumbled to herself as she balanced precariously on the sword with one hand and reached out with the other to open it.

Just to ruffle her feathers, right as she reached it, I slid the door open instead. Rengoku glowered at me and slowly walked through the doorway. She slumped to the floor immediately. "Was that too much exercise for you, old woman?" I teased, grabbing a bottle of sake from the cupboard.

"Oh, screw you. No, wait, you'd enjoy that too much Cherry-chan." I bristled at the virgin joke, though it was definitely untrue. "If I were you, I'd get out of the kitchen."

"Make me." I hissed, giving the mummy a withering glare.

All she did was smile at me menacingly. "Fine. Suit yourself." Suddenly, all of the utensils in the small space shot up. They started flying in every direction. I ducked and dodged them until I was out of the firing zone.

"What in all hell are you doing, woman!" I asked, pointing to the flying mass of metal.

Her one visible eye was glazed over in concentration. "I'm hungry and I'm not going to eat your crappy cooking again. Go make yourself useful and get me some water from the well. Use that pot." A grey pot shot right at me. I just barely caught it.  
_Stupid freaky woman with her goddamn weird powers. Who does she think she is, making me fetch her water? Jesus._ I did as she asked, however, because I was hungry and the old man wouldn't be back up with more food for a few hours at least.

When I got back inside, the pot flew out of my hand and onto the stove. "Grab me some leeks from the garden. They should be ready to eat by now." As I left, I heard a couple of clanks as things collided behind me.

After a couple more trips for various vegetables, I finally sat down to drink the sake. I was getting ready to pour it when the bottle was snatched out of my hand. "It is rude to pour your own drink. Muramasa must have taught you some manners." All movement in the kitchen stopped as she poured me out a cup. It resumed the moment Rengoku put the bottle down.

A half an hour later, the woman stood up and walked straight into the maelstrom of metal. She rustled through a few drawers and cabinets, all of which I noticed had metal handles. Chopsticks, bowls, and plates got set out on a metal dish. Narrowly avoiding several knives and a pot of hot rice, Rengoku made her way back to the table, the dish floating behind her.

"Down," She mumbled, and the dish clattered to the table. "Ouch. That was loud." The table was set and Rengoku sat down once again, her eye still glazed over.

"I apologize ahead of time if anything tastes weird. I'm still weak, so my concentration isn't at its best. Heads up." I barely avoided the giant wok and bowl of rice that darted over my head and landed a little quieter on the table than the last.

Begrudgingly, I dished out the food. The woman seemed completely exhausted from her feat, and her movements were still too slow. The food would have rotted by the time she was finished. "Itadakimasu." We both mumbled before eating. The vegetable stir-fry wasn't too bad, and anyone can prepare rice.

"So," I said as I poured the woman a cup of sake, "All of your cooking utensils are made of metal so you can control them. Same with the handles on the cupboards." It was not a question.

She nodded. "Usually I would be able to do more than that at one time without such noise, but my head is still a little fuzzy. But I've never like using metal plates and forks; somehow, everything tastes funny. How long was I out for anyway?"

There was no use in not telling her. "Five days." It was silent beside our slurping and Rengoku's frequent cursing at her inability to eat properly. Even using the hand that wasn't burnt led to her dropping things because of the knife wound in her back. After a while she gave up on the chopsticks and summoned a spoon from a cabinet.

She let out a sigh and set down the cup, "Kyo, you really aren't talkative, did you know that?" I snorted in response. "Where is Kurosaki-san?"

"In town… He said he would be back up at dinner time," I elaborated when she seemed ready to throw a fit.

"See? That wasn't so hard, was it? Now, if you'll excuse me." She said, slowly standing. The woman's every bone seemed to creak and crack from the strain. Once again, Rengoku shuffled out the door and sat on the porch.

A few minutes later, I walked out saying, "You should clean up those dishes before they stink up the house." No one heard me. The woman was out cold, leaning against one of the pillars that supported the roof of the house.

I went back inside, not even bothering to wake her. _Better for me; at least she is quiet_. I thought. The whole house smelled like the vegetable stir-fry, which was a lot better than burning flesh as it had been. So I went back to the room I had been in and sat at the windowsill, sake in hand.


	8. Chapter 8

~Kurosaki's POV~

After treating the butcher for the flu around four o'clock, I decided to head up to the smith's house. _I hope that medicine I gave her helped with the pain_. It was just a shame that a beautiful young woman with such a kind soul like her had to suffer so. I didn't bother asking who had put her in such a state. With the amount of medicine I stuffed in her, she probably wasn't coherent enough to realize where she was anymore.

It was my sneaking suspicion that the red-eyed man was at fault. But when she had first awoken and I had asked, her one eye stared at me with such strength and sureness I couldn't doubt her. Even if she hadn't, I dared not accuse him. His fierce demeanor and confidence in the way he moved let me know I would not survive the encounter. I shuddered at the thought of being diced into a thousand little pieces by the sharp blade he carried.

_Stop musing so much._ I scolded myself, walking into the home. If I hadn't been so ancient, I'm sure the smell of burnt flesh would have flooded my senses. In that way, I was lucky for being so damned old.

Gently, I slid the door open so as not to wake my patient. Surprisingly, the only person in the room was the crazy demon man.

"Is she…" I trailed off. The man nodded to the window, taking another sip of sake. I looked outside to see a patch of upturned dirt in the middle of the grassy yard. The grave was sloppy and excessively close to the small pond to be sanitary. He continued to sip the strong drink quietly as I stared.

Most of the time I would have scolded the quick burial and the lack of a coffin but I made an exception. The woman had no family or friends that I was aware of besides this dangerous person. There would be no one to pay for the coffin. I couldn't say that I was attached enough to the metalworker to do it myself. Plus I was being generous in not asking for payment for my services in this particular case. Of course, the demon man was part of the reason; he was the only person I could ask.

The man had been drowning himself in sake ever since I first saw him. I couldn't blame him though. Seeing a friend burned to a crisp could make any person turn to drinking. He hadn't dropped the poker face once besides replacing it with an angry scowl, which was understandable as well. Some people deal with sadness differently than others.

When my patient was coherent that first day, the two had teased and fought like an old married couple. The pair acted like old friends. Nevertheless, the moment she slipped back into unconsciousness, his face fell to his normal glare and he would sit by her bedside in silence. At least there would be one person to mourn the loss of the poor woman.

I cleared my throat. "It seems you have everything covered here. I'll leave the rest to you. Goodbye."

As I left the surprisingly large building and headed back down the path, I remembered the strange floating swords and how the woman had had such an effect on the metal in town. _I hope that that weird samurai will leave soon. Then everything will be back to normal._

I didn't notice that I left the bag of bandages and medicine at the house until I was at the base of the mountain. For a split second, I thought of going back up to retrieve the tools of my trade. The idea was smashed to pieces when I pictured seeing the red-eyed man once again. On top of the trip back up the deer trail, I didn't think my heart could handle another meeting.


	9. Chapter 9

~Kyo's POV~

A few hours later, it began to rain heavily out of nowhere. I thought the woman had finally kicked the bucket when the door opened loudly, letting the water pour in and getting me wet. Rengoku hobbled inside, completely soaked to the bone. "Close the door, damn it." I hissed.

"Do it yourself." She said, collapsing to the floor with a moan. I did only because the wind was sending the spray right in my direction. "When is that freaking doctor going to get here? I feel like a moldy mummy in these soggy dressings."

"He's already been here." The glare Rengoku gave me from her one steely eye would have sent shivers down my spine if she didn't look like a wet cat. "The guy thinks I buried you in the garden."

She flopped onto her back, a squelching noise coming from water seeping from the bandages. "Why didn't you… never mind. I'll do it myself. I don't need him anyway." She caught sight of the bag of supplies he'd left behind. "Now get out of my room so I can get this done."

"Why should I?"

Three swords immediately assaulted me. With as much dignity as I could muster, I hurried out. "Damn woman with her damn swords and her damn attitude." I murmured, making my way to the room opposite it.

It was just a little smaller than the other, but it was cozy and well kempt. The view of the garden was the same. The heavy downpour pounded maple trees and seasonal flowers mercilessly. There was a light mist above the decorate stones as the water hit them. Steam from the hot spring disappeared behind the thick sheets of rain. Clouds blotted out the sky, engulfing blue with an endless sea of grey. Though some people might find the sight depressing, it was rather soothing to me.

I chuckled lightly at the curses coming from the other room. It took an hour before I heard the defeated cry of, "Kyo~o." Despite wanting to stare out at the rain, I couldn't resist making fun of my newest target.

Sliding open the door revealed a small body topped with a giant blob of white for a head. "What do you want?" I stifled a laugh, trying to keep my face blank.

The woman flailed her arms around which she had actually managed to bandage. "I can't seem to get the bandages on my face right for the life of me!" She tore them off, revealing her disfigured countenance. For some reason, the sight of it didn't make me feel seasick anymore. Queasy, yes. But not about to throw my guts up.

"What do you want me to do about it, woman?" _This could become interesting._

Rengoku's voice was whispery now that her cheek was completely open to the elements. "I'll answer one question you have for me. And don't tell me that isn't a good deal. I can see it in your face. You want to know something specifically."

I paused. "Fine." When I made a grab for the white strips, she swiped my hand away.

"Go wash your grubby fingers first. You heard the doc. I'm susceptible to infection now. And even though I'm a Mibu, I've got to be careful about getting sick. Now shoo!"

Once I got back from scouring my hands in the sink, I sat down in front of her. The woman fidgeted awkwardly, unconsciously leaning away from me. For some reason, I could see embarrassment in her one seeing eye. "Stop looking at me like that, you fucktard." I growled. A glower replaced the strange face.

"I'm not telling you anything until after you wrap the bandages." If I had one good trait in the world, it would be that I'd never lied to anyone before. It was insulting that she thought I wouldn't help her if she gave me what I wanted.

In the end, we agreed to do both at the same time. "So," Rengoku began, "What do you want to know?"

One of her eyes was closed, but the unseeing one flicked about as if it could still gaze at me. "How do you know Muramasa? The whole story."

She hummed for a moment, gathering her thoughts. "I don't know where I was born or who my parents are. My first memory is of being in a labyrinth under the castle. When I was about seven, a former Taishirou member found me. I couldn't speak or anything; having rats and skeletons as your only companions for all of your life does that to a person." Rengoku smacked my hand away. "Not so tight! Um, so from what I've been told, since I couldn't understand what was happening, she brought me to the Aka no Ou and he saw my power. I stayed under that woman's care, which wasn't much. She called me Rat-chan for god's sake! The one good thing that came out of that was that I saw her making swords in a forge."

I was getting a lot more information than I'd asked for, but I was getting impatient. She must have felt it, so she continued as I finished the last loop around her head. "One day, Muramasa came to visit and he saw me. He was the only one who had realized that my power was a strange kind of Satori. So I was pawned off onto him. He taught me how to speak, write, act, fight, and forge weaponry. Muramasa is the closest thing I have to family."

"If you like him so much, why aren't you living with the old man?" I ignored the glare she gave me at the slight insult to him.

"Well," Rengoku said, leaning back against the wall, "He told me it would be good for me to go out and explore the world. Learn some new things and such since I'd only ever really communicated with him. But I think it was something else…" Her eye went hard. "You know that Muramasa is sick, right?"

I nodded. As we had left the Mibu castle years ago, I'd heard him tell that other woman that he'd contracted the Death Disease. "I believe that he doesn't want me to be dependent on him because eventually, he'll be gone." The woman's voice caught in her throat. The subject was just as hard for me to stomach. Somehow he had slowed it down, but even Muramasa couldn't outrun the disease forever.

"Maybe he just wanted your ugly ass out of his hair." She swiped at me gently in fake agitation.

"At least now that you can change your own diapers, he could kick you out with a clear conscience!" We both went to stand. Well, I stood up, and she tried to follow but fell. "Hehe, I need to learn my own limits. I won't be able to make well on that promise to visit him until after the passes clear." The wave of sadness that she emanated was similar to what happened when I was around Muramasa. People with Satori may be able to read others thoughts and emotions, but their own became quite apparent in their aura.

I huffed. "Don't expect me to stay with you because of some damn snow. I'm going out to look for a good fight."

"When do you plan on leaving?"

"I need to get out of here before the passes close."

"One second," Rengoku stood up shakily, "I have something that might come in handy." She explained, shuffling down the hallway. I followed behind her at the same snail's pace. "This used to be Muramasa's place, so he has a bunch of old clothes here. That crap you have on won't keep you warm at all." I looked down at the thin black yukata. Even though I am a Mibu, the cold can still destroy a few limbs I'd prefer to keep.

We entered a small room that would probably be classified more as a walk in closet. With a wave of her hand, the metal hangers started moving about. "Here we go. It may not fit perfectly, but you aren't too much bigger than him." A black silk cloak floated towards me, still on its hanger. I snatched it out of the air and settled it on my shoulders.

"Not bad. Muramasa has never had good taste in clothes or women, but they'll both have to do."

"What do you mean, you prick?"

It was just too easy to get on this woman's nerves. "What do you think you old hag?"

"I'll have you know that I sewed him up that cloak myself. Jesus, I have no idea how Muramasa could stand a rude little punk like you. And is it so hard to call me Ren? Rengoku is a bit of a mouthful, I know, but the other is just one syllable. Anything is better than 'old hag'."

I shed the heavy clothing and walked towards the room I had claimed as my own. "Listening to you is tiring. I'm going to sleep."

"If you wait a couple of minutes before you leave in the morning, I'll make you some breakfast." Rengoku called from behind me. While I'd never admit it, having this horribly disfigured woman around was better than solitude.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: Sorry for the delay, my peoples. For the life of me, I couldn't make this chapter less cheesy/corny than it is, and I've been trying since the last chapter got out. If you have an idea for it, please enlighten me!**

I woke the next morning to the smell of breakfast and sunshine. That giant orb had finally broken through the cloudy horizon to reveal a land of frosty dew, the winter storm leaving everything outside tinged with crunchy ice.

The room I was sleeping in was surprisingly warm despite the cool weather. Then I noticed that someone had lit the fireplace in the middle of the night. _How can a crispy old hag move so silently?_ I thought to myself as I stretched, removing the last traces of sleep from my body. _I didn't even feel her presence._

Instead of flying pots and pans in the kitchen, Rengoku was shuffling about quietly. He face suddenly contorted with pain. "Shit," she hissed, a metal dish slipping through her fingers and clattering to the floor noisily. The woman turned in the direction of the room I was in, seeming afraid she had awoken me. When she saw me, a grin could be seen through the bandages on her face. "So you're awake, Sleeping Beauty. Now I can quit with this slow crap." I evaded a pot of rice.

I sat down at the low table lazily, one hand tucked inside my yukata to scratch an itchy rib. Scowling lightly, I hissed, "More of your nasty ass food. Great."

"If you don't want to eat it, starve. See if I give a damn." The tone of her voice was serious; she wouldn't.

"Fuck you." I said, lounging back against the wall.

Rengoku turned, batting her lashes, or at least on the one eye I could see. "You would want to."

"Bet you want some of this, you horny bitch." I deepened my voice the way that made most women swoon.

She just laughed. "Even if I did, it isn't like you'd know what to do, Cherry-chan." The (untrue) virgin jokes were really getting to me no matter how hard I tried to deny it. As she walked forward, there was a slight twitch to her hips, though it was awkward because of her injuries. "I like strong, _experienced _men, not clumsy little boys. Do you think you could find one for me?"

"I'll find you one and shove it up your sorry a…"

"Ah-ah-ah. Breakfast is ready so shut your face and eat." My comments didn't affect her in the least. In fact, Rengoku seemed to find it all quite amusing, like a mother listening to a young child repeating the curses it had heard.

We ate in peaceful silence for the whole meal. I stood afterwards, intending to snag the silk coat and leave in search of better competition. I was at the door where I'd last seen it when Rengoku called out, "Looking for something?" In a pile in her hands was the coat, a sturdy pair of boots and a bag with what I suspected to be food and other necessary provisions.

"What's with all this?" I asked, gesturing to her armful.

She gave me one of those dumber-than-shit looks and passed it to me. "Muramasa would never forgive me if I let you out into the cold without everything you might need." It seemed that the man had the same effect on the both of us. When I thought about it, that tiny little voice in the back of my head I ignored sounded just like the bastard.

We walked to the main door where I slipped on the coat and stuffed my feet into the boots that were just a bit too small. Then I snatched my geta and put them into the bag.

I've never been a person of many words, so I just turned to start my journey again without another sound. A small but strong hand had a hold on the back of my clothes, stopping me midstride. She looked up at me with that one eye, and I'm sure that the redness to her cheeks weren't just from her burns. "I-I just wanted to say tha…"

I cut her off, snatching her wrist and gripping it more than what would be comfortable. "You swore you'd kill the person who did that to you. Don't break that promise." Our eyes locked, bright crimson and sharp grey unwavering. I knew the feeling of having made a hard promise to keep, one that might lead to despair or death. For a moment, I saw the unquenchable thirst for blood rise within the smithy. The fire in her eyes smoldered, like a hot coal in a pile of fresh ash. Seeing that she understood I would not accept a thank you, I released her.

Once again I was stopped. This time, the look Rengoku gave me was sad instead of embarrassed. "If you pass by Muramasa on your travels, could you tell him that I'm alive? Those Mibu bastards must have told him I was killed in some 'unfortunate accident'. Tell Muramasa that I'm okay and I miss him."

"I'll tell him you're alive if I see him, but say the rest to him yourself. I'm not going to make myself sound like a pussy for you." It was strange dealing with a woman in such a distraught state. I'd never been around girls for more than a short period, just enough to fuck 'em and pass on. So I said what I would to any other warrior.

It seemed to have the effect I wanted. Rengoku's eye lit up, giving me a light punch in the arm for my words. "I'll be there by the second week of spring." She paused thoughtfully for a moment. "Ask him about your sword while you're there. Now that I'm a bit more coherent, there seems to be something weird with Tenro. Like there are two personalities in there, one on the surface and the other buried deep within it where I can't hear."

I was already half way down the path by the time she finished. Her news was intriguing. I shook it off however. _I never talk to the damn thing, so it doesn't matter if it is schizo or not._ The silly woman was waving her head off in goodbye but I didn't bother to acknowledge her. I felt her presence all the way through the forest until I hit the bottom of the mountain path. Somehow, though, I swear I could still see her white bandaged hand past the thicket of trees.


	11. Chapter 11

~Muramasa's POV~

Honestly, if you asked who would most likely visit my home between Kyo and the Tooth Fairy, I'd choose the latter. So when I felt his presence coming my way one day around midwinter, I was ecstatic. I ran around the house stocking up the fires and readying a place for him to rest. By the time his tall figure loomed in my doorway, I was already there, gesturing to his coat. "Care for a cup of tea, Kyo?"

My pseudo-son definitely didn't get his manners from me. He grunted something incomprehensible and slipped a familiar pair of boots off before tossing his coat (which was also rather familiar) towards me. If I had been anyone else, I might be angry for his rude behavior. But I heard his thoughts roaring in my ears, **"I'm so fucking tired, I just want to get warm and get sleep…Damn it, he's already in my head. No, you're in my head."**

I shrugged as if his comment had been voiced aloud. With people like Kyo, my Satori was quite useful. He could never hide anything from me. _Or could he?_ As he sat down, he hissed, "Stop poking around my head, old man. I'll tell you when I feel like it." Then the crimson eyed demon guzzled the tea I had put in front of him.

Of course, I attempted what he requested but it didn't help much. Even without conscious effort, Kyo's thoughts were a constant whisper in my mind. **I wonder if he really had heard…Fuck, I wonder if I should even tell him. What if that crispy old hag doesn't make it?**

"Kyo, calling people by such names really isn't very nice," I said nonchalantly in between a modest sip of tea.

The samurai growled, and then leaned his solid frame onto the back wall. I had long since replaced the rice paper walls in the dining area with solid ones because of that particular habit. "Your little pros—friend with the Satori is actually alive," he said without even a hint of tact.

My mind went into turmoil. _Is Rengoku really alive? The Mibu messengers said…_ And it dawned on me that I had been deceived. "So that's how it is. How did you learn of this?" Despite my calm voice, my hands still shook in something like a mixture of anger and relief.

Instead of waiting for him to grind out an answer, I searched for it in Kyo's mind. The images he sent towards me were horrifying. My pretty little Rengoku burned almost beyond recognition, her once flawless face marred by the fire. The memory was so vivid, I could smell the scent of cooking flesh and sickly sweetness of infection. It almost made me retch. Kyo noticed my distraught. "She's as fine as expected."

That would be the most words of comfort I'd ever receive from the man. I forced my heart rate back to normal and gripped my teacup to stop the shaking. "Should I prepare to leave?" I asked, already checking off a list of supplies for the journey west in my head.

"No," he said in that gruff voice of his, "It'll be a waste of time. The passes closed up right after I left and she plans on getting here at the beginning of spring anyway."

Based on the images that I had read in Kyo's mind, that seemed like a very unlikely outcome. I believed that Rengoku was strong, but even the most hardy of the Mibu would have a difficult time getting over such traumatic injuries. There would be a lot of problems for her in the future. Her immune system would forever be compromised and a significant amount of muscle loss would occur because her range of motion would be seriously impacted. Skin is meant to stretch and those burns would prevent that from happening to a large degree.

"…Old man?"

If she was able to travel despite all that, the possibility of her being attacked and killed would be increased. Japan is a lawless land and bandits pick off weak or wounded prey like hyenas. There would be no way for Rengoku to protect herself.

"…Old man!"

I had no other option. My instincts told me that I had to go to her no matter what the cost. I'd need to dig up my traveling garb, rations that would survive the road and probably start collecting herbs along the way. Healing and medicine was never her-

"Old man! Snap out of it!" Kyo shouted angrily. I snapped out of my thoughts and back into reality. Red eyes were glaring at me intensely.

I cleared my throat before speaking: "I'm sorry, Kyo, what were you saying?"

He grunted before settling back down more comfortably. "Stop making plans for heading over there right now. She doesn't want you bugging her and getting all over-protective." I could feel that my sweet little Rengoku hadn't actually said that, but I could see where this was coming from. No one really wanted to have someone hovering over them while they were sick. I knew that feeling. There was a reason why I hadn't told Kyo or Rengoku about my… condition.

I didn't have to be happy about the situation though.

I took the last sip from my cup of herbal tea and sighed shakily. Just as I was about to grab the kettle and pour some more, a hand pushed my own out of the way and walked away with it. The news had finally really sunk in. _She might not even survive the winter…_

A cup was put into my hand and I automatically took a half-hearted swig. I almost spewed out the sake that been switch for my tea before I realized that Kyo was trying to comfort me.

Kyo. Comforting me… What an unsettling thought.

Instead of refusing the sake, I gulped the rest down and stuck the cup out for more.


End file.
